Hanify & King group defects for Jones Day

Before the firm has even opened its doors, Jones Day is making waves in Boston’s legal community.

Veteran trial lawyer John D. Hanify of Hanify & King will leave the Beacon Hill firm he co-founded 30 years ago with James C. King to join Jones Day’s new Boston office on Jan. 1.

Also heading to the international firm are four other H&K attorneys: Michael T. Marcucci, Christopher M. Morrison, Jeffrey J. Upton and Karen A. Whitley.

“The addition of these highly talented lawyers — all of whom are well known in and well regarded by the Boston legal community — not only provides Jones Day with an even greater base of talent in Boston but underscores the firm’s long-term commitment to Boston,” Traci L. Lovitt, the Jones Day partner heading up the Boston office, said in a written statement today. “The fact that we have attracted such talented lawyers prior to officially opening will also help us realize our goal of becoming a full-service firm in the area fairly quickly.”

Ann Murphy, a Hanify & King spokeswoman, said the firm has known about the group’s departure “for a while” and plans no change in practice area focus. The 35-lawyer H&K is currently talking to “several senior-level attorneys who would be well known in the Boston legal community,” and an announcement on new hires, as well as a firm-name change, is expected in the next few weeks, she said.